Cortana
Microsoft to End Support for Cortana on iOS, Android in Early 2021
Microsoft has today announced in a support article that it will end support for all third-party Cortana skills on September 7, followed by Cortana apps for iOS and Android in early 2021, as it looks to shift its focus on a "transformational AI-powered assistant experience" in Microsoft 365. Microsoft urges its users to start managing their calendar and email, join...
Microsoft’s Digital Assistant Cortana Receives Deep New Outlook Integrations and a Male Voice Option
Microsoft is doubling down on Cortana, giving the digital assistant a host of new capabilities to help people manage their schedules and communications at the office throughout the day. During the company's annual Ignite conference, Microsoft officially announced a new feature called Play My Emails for Outlook on iOS. The new feature uses Cortana to...
Leaked Documents Detail Microsoft Contractors Who Listen to Cortana Recordings
After a recent report revealed that Microsoft contractors listen to selected Cortana and Skype recordings, Microsoft has updated their privacy policy to confirm this. A follow-up report from Vice’s Motherboard, with the help of leaked documents and interviews, suggests that these contractors have a laborious job are poorly paid. Reports about human contractors listening to […]
Microsoft CEO Says Cortana is No Longer a Competitor to Alexa or Google Assistant
Having fallen behind the competition over the past year or so, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has admitted while speaking to journalists at a media event that his company’s Cortana virtual assistant is no longer a competitor to Alexa or Google Assistant, The Verge is reporting. “Cortana needs to be that skill for anybody who’s a Microsoft 365...
Microsoft Rolls Out Cortana 3.0 in Beta to iOS and Android Users
As reported by Windows Central, Microsoft has started rolling out Cortana version 3.0 in beta to iOS and Android users, that brings a redesigned UI focused on conversational experiences, new music, and podcast connections, as well as the ability to join Skype and Teams meetings by using the voice-activated digital assistant. Though Microsoft has announced the update...
Amazon and Microsoft Begin Publicly Testing Alexa-Cortana Integration
Users of Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana can now access features of the other's virtual assistant, the companies announced Wednesday. A new report from CNET explains that the collaboration, announced last fall, is finally here in limited testing form. Those who opt in, using an Echo, Windows 10, or Harmon Kaidon Invoke device will be able to summon both virtual assistants on their devices....
Siri Still Lagging Behind Google Assistant in Latest ‘Digital Assistant IQ Test’
Google Assistant has emerged victorious in the latest "Digital Assistant IQ Test." Loup Ventures' annual digital assistant test results were revealed today, providing a glimpse as to how the top four compare to one another. According to this year's data, Google Assistant came out on top by a significant margin over Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa,...
Apple’s User Privacy Policy Doesn’t Affect Siri’s Overall Intelligence
Many big tech companies provide some kind of voice assistant - Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana, and Samsung's Bixby are the first few that come to mind. While an AI assistant collects a user's personal data to learn more about the user and function more efficiently, does Apple lag behind due to user its...
Microsoft and Amazon to Integrate Cortana and Alexa AI Assistants
Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa will begin “talking to each other” by the end of the year, letting each voice assistant’s users leverage the unique capabilities of the other in an unusual collaboration between the Seattle-area tech giants. According to a new report from the New York Times, Amazon's voice-powered digital assistant Alexa will now be able...
Microsoft’s Cortana Starts Reminding You of Commitments You Made in Your Emails
This week, Microsoft began rolling out an update to Cortana that makes the personal digital assistant's reminder capabilities a lot more sophisticated. Cortana has had the ability to manually create time, location, or person-based reminders from Windows 10 or mobile for quite some time. The reminders are then triggered across all your devices. Today, Microsoft has...
Microsoft Rolls Out Cortana for iOS to Select Beta Testers in the U.S.
This week, Microsoft activated beta accounts for a select number of users based in the U.S. who are interested in testing the iOS version of its Cortana personal assistant. Microsoft's Cortana TestFlight invitations are going out to iOS device owners who signed up for the beta in early November. The digital assistant app is being...
Cortana Available on iOS Later This Year, Microsoft Confirms
Earlier this year rumours surfaced about Microsoft's plans to bring Siri competitor Cortana to the iPhone. Today, official confirmation arrived in the form of a blog post on Microsoft's official blog signed by Joe Belfiore. Windows 10 features a new app called "Phone Companion" which will work as a connection hub for users on all...